THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. – Cal Lutheran women's water polo opened its home schedule against a tough slate of NCAA Division I competition on Friday, splitting a doubleheader against CSUN and Fresno Pacific at the Samuelson Aquatics Center.
The Regals dropped the morning contest before regrouping after a lengthy break to earn a thrilling win in the finale, highlighted by a program-record performance from graduate goalkeeper
Izzy de Souza.
GAME ONE: CSUN 13, CAL LUTHERAN 5
Cal Lutheran faced a tough test to start the day, falling 13-5 to CSUN in the 9 a.m. opener.
The Matadors controlled the tempo early, taking a 2-1 lead after the first quarter and extending the advantage to 10-3 following a seven-goal third period.
Aleaha Gonzalez led the Regals' offense with four goals, accounting for the majority of Cal Lutheran's scoring output.
Hudson Geier added a goal and an assist, while
Lauren Lohmeier and
Jacqueline Brandon also contributed to the playmaking. De Souza and
Sophie Raquel shared time in the cage, combining for 13 saves as the Regals worked through CSUN's momentum.
GAME TWO: CAL LUTHERAN 12, FRESNO PACIFIC 11
After roughly six hours between matches, the Regals returned to the pool and delivered a dramatic 12-11 victory over Fresno Pacific in the afternoon capper.
Cal Lutheran jumped out to an early 3-2 lead and traded momentum throughout a back-and-forth contest. The Regals surged in the fourth quarter with four goals, including a timely finish from Lohmeier, to overcome Fresno Pacific's third-quarter push.
Lohmeier led the way with four goals, while Geier posted an all-around performance with two goals and two assists.
Kelsee Espitia,
Olivia Hurley, and
Reyna Clark each recorded multi-point efforts as well.
In goal, de Souza anchored the defense with seven saves and reached a major milestone in the process, becoming the program's all-time career leader in saves with 926 and counting.
UP NEXT
Cal Lutheran continues its early-season with a road swing on February 7-8, traveling to Arizona to face a quartet of NCAA Division I opponents at Arizona State across the two-day event.
